Ambassador

Fifty years ago a man stepped onto the moon and forever changed mankind’s vision of what is possible. I am sure you have all heard Neil Armstrong’s famous quote when he set foot on the moon, “That’s one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Indeed, it was a giant leap. The Apollo ...

On March 29, 2019, Lithuania celebrates its 15th anniversary as a member of NATO! On this joyous occasion, the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne Hall and Defense Attaché LTC Robert A. McVey, Jr. send their greetings to Lithuania and Lithuanians!

I am deeply honored to be with you today to join in paying tribute to a man who was not only an American hero and patriot, but also a great friend of Lithuania. As all of you well know, Senator John McCain dedicated his life to fighting for the freedom and democracy that he believed ...

I am delighted to welcome you today to the U.S. Embassy for this important seminar on cyber security. We have a very distinguished group of individuals with us today, and I’d like to start by thanking our participants from the AmCham for your dedication and commitment to expanding commercial engagement and business opportunities between the ...

Ambassador Hall’s Remarks at the American Chamber of Commerce in Lithuania Christmas Gala Saturday, December 8, 2018 Vilnius Grand Resort Dear Chamber members, guests, Ladies and Gentlemen, Happy holidays! I am pleased to join you this evening for this festive gala, to celebrate the season and all of the AmCham’s accomplishments over the ...

Thank you for joining us this afternoon to discuss an incredibly important topic – sexual harassment and sexual violence. We began this conversation last year and as we have seen worldwide, it is vital that we continue addressing this issue.

I am delighted to join you today at the Women, Peace and Security Capacity Building Conference. It is wonderful to see so many international experts gathered to discuss the role of women in peacebuilding and security. I am especially delighted to welcome such a strong American delegation joining us here today, including representatives from the ...

It is a great honor and privilege for me to take part today in this ceremony to present the Truman-Reagan Medal of Freedom to President Valdas Adamkus. Each year, the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation bestows this medal on individuals and institutions that have demonstrated a life-long commitment to freedom, democracy, and opposition to communism ...

It has been a great honor for me to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania during the centennial celebration of the restoration of Lithuanian statehood. The United States is proud of its long, rich history of friendship with Lithuania and its neighbors, Estonia and Latvia. This friendship has endured many challenging days yet we ...

Thank you for joining us today to welcome our newest Fulbright participants to Lithuania and to celebrate the importance of the Fulbright program with our alumni and guests from the Ministry of Education. Senator J. William Fulbright, for whom this program is named, said many decades ago that “The Fulbright Program aims to bring a ...

It is a privilege and a delight to be here with you today for this handover ceremony at the National Cancer Institute. First let me acknowledge and congratulate the amazing success of the 2018 Blossom of Hope Gala in May for raising a record high amount of money for the important and wonderful work the ...

It is a great honor and privilege for me to take part in this symposium, and to pay my respects to Chiune Sugihara, to Jan Zwartendijk, and to all those who assisted them in their efforts to save lives. As a career diplomat, the stories of these brave officials, who defied the odds, often defying ...

Welcome to the U.S. Ambassador’s residence. I am delighted to host this gathering for teachers and students to celebrate the beginning of a new school year. All of us at the U.S. Embassy believe that our partnerships with teachers and students are foundational to the future of relations between the U.S. and Lithuania.

I’m honored to be celebrating the arrival of another U.S. company to Lithuania. The arrival of Bazaarvoice demonstrates the strong and growing ties between our countries’ innovation and technology sectors.

I would first like to thank Minister Petrauskiene for arranging and hosting this ceremony. And, of course, thank you everyone for being here today. It is a great honor to greet you on this occasion, as we sign the third cooperation agreement on science, technology, and innovation between governments of Lithuania and the United States. ...

Good afternoon. It is a tremendous pleasure for me to be here to address you at this important milestone in your lives as you graduate from Vytautas Magnus University. I am especially honored to be asked to participate in the graduation ceremony for the International Program students. It is wonderful to see that the Lithuanian ...

Together with fellow like-minded embassies, I would like to thank you all for joining us today to recognize the International Day Against Homophobia & Transphobia (IDAHOT). It is a special honor for me to hold this year’s reception at my residence, and I would like to thank the governments of Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, ...

The United States has proudly called Lithuania a friend for the past century and that is, in large part, because of the strength of the ties between the people of our two great countries. As we look forward to the next 100 years of U.S.-Lithuanian relations, we know that the strength of our bond will ...

Welcome and thank you all for coming to this very special event. On May 2, in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Department of State presented its Emerging Young Leaders Award to Zina Salim Hassan Hamu, who is currently studying at LCC International University in Klaipeda. Each year, the U.S. presents this award to only ten outstanding ...

It is a great honor and privilege for me to take part in this groundbreaking ceremony for the Lost Shtetl Museum. This past December, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Šeduva and learn about this unique project.

Dear students, faculty, and experts: Thank you for joining us this afternoon to discuss such an important topic – sexual harassment and sexual violence. The topic of sexual harassment may make people uncomfortable, as it is not always easy to talk about, but we have seen – in the United States, in Lithuania, and across ...

It is a great honor to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania during the centennial celebration of the restoration of Lithuanian statehood. The United States has proudly called Lithuania a friend for the past century.

Good morning everyone, and thank you for coming to this training led by our Department of Homeland Security Attachés from the U.S. Embassy in Tallinn. It is nice to see so many Lithuanian law enforcement and security representatives as well as U.S. law enforcement officials. I’d like to thank our DHS representatives from U.S. Embassy ...

Ladies and gentlemen, distinguished guests, it is my honor to be here today with Minister Karoblis, Undersecretary Marek Łapinski, and President Peter Doran. The United States and its NATO Allies have one of the closest military relationships in the world. The U.S. recognizes that the Baltic States and Poland, on the border of our Alliance, ...

Esteemed Ministers, ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, good evening. Thank you for joining us tonight to commemorate the launch of Facebook’s Amber Alert program in Lithuania. Tomorrow, we will celebrate a symbol of the Lithuanian-American partnership, a tangible outcome of what happens when our two countries work together. The U.S. Embassy is proud to have ...

It gives me great pleasure to be here today to help present the Lithuanian-American Innovation Award. This award is a combined initiative of the American Lithuania Business Council, the U.S. Embassy, and the Baltic American Freedom Foundation. I’d like to express special thanks to BAFF for their financial support – without which this award would ...

It is a great honor to serve as the U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania during the centennial celebration of the restoration of Lithuanian statehood. The United States has proudly called Lithuania a friend for the past century. We congratulate the Republic of Lithuania on this important milestone in the history not only of this country and ...

It is my great pleasure and deep honor to be here among NATO allies to mark the completion of another successful U.S. rotation as part of the Baltic Air Policing Mission. Thanks for inviting me today to join in handing over this vital security responsibility to our Danish counterparts.

U.S. Ambassador in Lithuania Anne Hall announces the new round of applications for the annual Lithuanian-American Innovation Award worth of €10.000. Launched in 2016 by the Baltic American Freedom Foundation (BAFF), the American-Lithuanian Business Council (ALBC), and the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius, the Award highlights and promotes innovative cooperation between the United States and Lithuania.

Dear students, faculty, and experts, thank you for joining us this afternoon to discuss such an important topic. Every year at this time, the United States, Lithuania, and the rest of the world commemorate 16 Days of Activism to address the issue of violence against women. For too long, this subject was rarely discussed in ...

It is a great privilege for me to be here today. The opening of the Samuel Bak Museum in Lithuania is a historic milestone for U.S.-Lithuanian friendship. We are enormously grateful to the Vilna Gaon Jewish Museum and the Pucker Gallery in the United States for their phenomenal efforts.

The United States strives to support a Europe committed to democracy, pluralism, human rights, and tolerance. As Secretary Tillerson has said: “No one should have to live in fear, worship in secret, or face discrimination because of his or her beliefs.” And so that is why we have come here, to remember and through remembering, ...

I’m honored to be celebrating the groundbreaking ceremony of Hollister Incorporated in Lithuania – and the arrival of another U.S. company to Lithuania. Hollister’s arrival demonstrates the strong and growing ties between our countries’ economies. Known worldwide for its advanced medical products sold in 80 countries, Hollister will serve the European market with this manufacturing ...

It gives me great pleasure to welcome the "Lumenaria Chorale" from Washington D.C. to Vilnius to celebrate the 500th Anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. I have no doubt that your performance will be both beautiful and uplifting. While Lithuania prides itself on being a “singing country,” Washington, D.C. prides itself on being the Choral Capital of ...

The United States and its NATO allies have one of the closest military relationships in the world. Lithuanian and American soldiers have been working together since 1993, in hundreds of exchanges between our two countries, and on important deployments to international missions.

I thank you for this opportunity to address you as we celebrate the 5th anniversary of the NATO Energy Security Center of Excellence. As Vice President Pence said in Tallinn on July 31, a strong and united NATO is needed more today than at any point since the collapse of Communism a quarter-century ago.

I am pleased to join you today as you take an important step toward becoming a professional board member. The Baltic Institute for Corporate Governance’s Professional Board Member Education program will equip you with the skills and knowledge necessary to make this region a true global leader in corporate governance.

On June 13, Ambassador Hall welcomed participants of the European Refugee Integration Technical Assistance Project Workshop on Resettlement and Integration, designed to share U.S. refugee resettlement and integration experiences with practitioners in ten European countries.

On June 5, Ambassador Hall gave remarks at the "Marshall Plan" 70th Anniversary Commemoration Event at Seimas. This day marks the 70th anniversary of United States Secretary of State George C. Marshall’s address at Harvard University, unveiling the European Aid Program, a program that has become known to all as the “Marshall Plan.”

On May 16, Ambassador Hall gave remarks at the Reception Marking the 25th Anniversary of the US-LT Educational Exchanges. For 25 years the U.S. Embassy in Vilnius has been proud to sponsor the academic and professional development of Lithuanians through our exchange programs, which include the Fulbright program, the International Visitor Leadership Program – more ...

On May 2, Ambassador Hall participated in the opening of Western Union Customer Experience Center in Vilnius. Western Union’s commitment to customer service, anti-money laundering compliance and corporate social responsibility represents best practices in the business world today, no matter where you are.

On March 30th, Ambassador Hall and Lithuanian Minister of Education and Science Jurgita Petrauskienė signed a memorandum of understanding of the Fulbright Exchange Program. The memorandum will provide a stronger framework for the program that has existed in Lithuania for 25 years.

Ambassador Hall: "The U.S. is paying attention to what is happening in the Baltics. The United States welcomes Lithuania’s commitment to meeting and surpassing NATO’s important benchmark of 2% on defense spending."

Ambassador Hall (March 1): "This is the largest business mission ALBC has ever brought to Lithuania, which shows Lithuania’s progress in making itself a business destination. I hope this visit is just one sign of a stronger commercial relationship between the U.S. and Lithuania."

On January 17, the United States and Lithuania signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement (DCA), which establishes a framework for enhanced partnership and defense and security cooperation between our two countries. This new bilateral agreement will supplement existing agreements between the United States and Lithuania concluded bilaterally and through the NATO alliance, further supporting a broad range ...

January 17, 2017 Minister Karoblis, thank you for hosting this event today, which marks an important milestone in our bilateral defense partnership. The defense cooperation agreement we are signing is more than just a document that governs the presence of U.S. troops in Lithuania. It reaffirms our two countries’ mutual commitment to work side by ...

December 16, 2016 Thank you for this opportunity to share my thoughts on Lithuanian-American relations with the distinguished journalists and participants of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Conference on Lithuanian Foreign Policy for Regional Media. It has been an honor and a privilege for me to return to Lithuania as the U.S. Ambassador. It has ...

November 28, 2016 Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, good evening. I am happy to have this opportunity to commemorate “Sixteen days against domestic violence” campaign together with you all. Every year, this campaign aims to draw public attention to the problem of violence against women and to encourage people to not remain indifferent towards the ...

November 9, 2016 Good morning. After a long presidential election campaign season, the American people have chosen the 45th president of the United States. The results are in, Secretary Clinton has conceded, and the media outlets have announced Donald Trump as the winner. Now that the American people have made their choice, we will see ...

November 8, 2016 I am so excited to be here tonight with so many of our Lithuanian friends. Election Day is finally here! It feels like all of you are as eager to see the outcome of our presidential election as we are. I was in Vilnius four years ago during our last presidential election. ...

October 27, 2016 Ladies and gentlemen, honored guests, I am pleased to join you today to as you begin your course work for the Baltic Institute for Corporate Governance Executive Education Program. The U.S. Embassy in Lithuania enjoys a strong relationship with the BICG, and it is a pleasure for me to witness the Institute’s ...

October 27, 2016 Dublis Restaurant This is my first American Chamber of Commerce event since returning to Lithuania a month ago as the American Ambassador. I am so pleased that our first meeting centers around American food! American cuisine is as diverse as America itself. Throughout the country’s history, as people arrived in America from ...

October 24, 2016 Last July, at NATO’s summit in Warsaw, our leaders reaffirmed our enduring Article 5 obligations to our common security and committed to the most significant reinforcement of our collective defense since the Cold War. Building on the Readiness Action Plan and the U.S. European Reassurance Initiative — our Alliance is enhancing our ...

On October 7, U.S. Ambassador to Lithuania Anne Hall presented diplomatic credentials to the President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite. After the ceremony, Ambassador Hall and President Grybauskaite discussed further steps to strengthen strategic partnership of the U.S. and Lithuania.